It's Time to Play a Game
by karistarz
Summary: The only thing they had in common was that they loved to play games. "Maybe one day, you'll bump into someone you know." A crossover fic with Yu-Gi-Oh and Hikaru no Go.
1. Meeting a Stranger: Part 1

Hello everyone. It's me again.

I'd originally planned to publish this story last year, but...well. You know.

ANYway, that aside, this is my first crossover fic! Whoohoo! And my first attempt at _Yu-Gi-Oh_ fanfic! This fic was inspired by Murinae's story _Driven_, a crossover fic between _Hikaru no Go_ and _Death Note_. If you haven't read it, you should. Murinae doesn't know I exist, but I still thank you from the bottom of my muse's heart.

This will be a multi-chapter story, although each chapter will be further split into smaller parts. Each chapter can be their own standalone story with different characters from each manga, but they all occur in the same universe (just at different times), so I decided to group them together under one title. If there are spoilers in a particular chapter, I will warn you beforehand. You don't have to know too much about either manga to be able to follow this story, but the more you know, the more 'tidbits' you'd be able to pick up. For example, kudos to those who know where this story's title comes from.

I've done my research thoroughly before writing this story, but if you find any inconsistencies or mistakes, please feel free to let me know.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Hikaru no Go_ or _Yu-Gi-Oh_. Hey, that rhymes!

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><p><strong>It's Time to Play a Game<br>**_by Karistarz_

_Chapter 1: Meeting a Stranger (Part 1)_

The bell on the door tinkled, and Harumi Ichikawa looked up from the magazine she'd been reading.

"Oh, hello. I mean, welcome to the Go Salon!" She gave the person a cheerful smile, trying to hide her nervousness. In truth, she'd only been the Go salon's cashier for a week, and she'd desperately needed the job despite one of her friend's attempts at scaring her, saying that 99% of the customers were old, perverted men. But so far, nothing bad happened, and she hoped it would stay that way.

One thing her friend was right about was the demographic of the salon's customers, which was further proved by the customer standing in front of her – a man quite short even for the average Japanese man, but with round, curious eyes that wrinkled pleasantly at the corners. He was at least in his late fifties, but the sparkle in his eyes made him look a little younger.

"Hello. My, they hire such pretty girls for front desk jobs nowadays, eh?" He chuckled, making Harumi shudder inwardly. Perhaps her friend was right…? But before she could respond, she saw a head peek out from behind the old man's legs and was greeted by—

"EEEEEEEEEEE! He's so _cuuuuteee!_" She leaned over the counter to take a closer look, causing the child to duck behind his temporary 'refuge'. The man burst out laughing and stepped aside.

"Now now, Yugi. Say hi to the lovely girl."

The boy still had a hand clutched to the older man's pants, but squeaked out a 'hello!' before ducking his head in nervousness. In that brief moment, Harumi caught the big, violet eyes, untameable hair and chubby cheeks and her heart just melted.

"Awwwwwwww. Don't be shy, Yugi-kun. Here – have a candy." She took a candy from the stash she usually reserved for her other 'cute pet' and offered it to the kid, who just glanced at it before ducking again.

"Sorry about that. My grandson's a little nervous around strangers, but I'm sure he'll warm up to you soon enough…Ichikawa-san." The old man peered at her nametag to make sure he'd gotten her name right before straightening up. "Anyway. Is Touya-kun – err, Touya-_san_ here?"

She blinked at the request. Did this guy want to challenge one of the greatest Go players in Japan?

"He's attending a Go function at the moment, but he said he'd drop by at around four today. What do you need him for?"

The man's face fell a little before smiling again.

"Ah. He used to be a student of mine, and I wanted to surprise him – I live in Domino City and just happened to be visiting the area. He's done pretty well for himself, I must say." He chuckled, though Harumi was surprised at this. Was this the man who taught Touya Meijin how to play Go?

"Well, if you want to meet him you could wait here. Maybe play a couple of games with the other customers." She gestured to the half-full lounge. "When he comes, I'll let him know that…umm…"

"Mutou. Let him know that a Mutou is waiting for him." He felt a tug on his pants, which made him laugh. "Actually, make that two Mutous."

"Sure! Please write your name here, and your Go level next to it."

The older Mutou scribbled on the form and clinked several coins onto the counter with the air of a seasoned player.

"Thank you Ichikawa-san! And keep the change!" With that, Mutou-san headed towards the other customers with Yugi-kun trailing behind him.

Since he sounded really eager to play, Harumi sighed and didn't stop him to insist on returning the extra money. She'd wanted to waive Yugi-kun's fee since she was pretty sure he wouldn't be playing. He seemed too young to know how to play such a complicated game, and besides, even if he did he'd be too shy to play against a stranger.

She hummed. She was sure Akira-kun would tag along with his father later on, and it would be nice for the Go-crazy boy to befriend someone his own age for once. Hanging around all these old geezers all the time surely wasn't good for any kid, plus it would be absolutely _adorable_ to see _two _cuties play against one another!

She giggled, eyes watching the spiky crimson-tipped hair as it bobbed after the older Mutou.

_-To be continued-_

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><p>Don't worry; I will post part 2 right now. It seemed better when I made part 1 its own 'chapter'.<p> 


	2. Meeting a Stranger: Part 2

Like I promised, here's part 2! And once again, I don't own anything.

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><p><strong>It's Time to Play a Game<strong>

_Chapter 1: Meeting a Stranger (part 2)_

"Ah! Welcome back, Touya Meijin, Akira-kun."

Akira bowed politely and received the usual pile of candy from Ichikawa-neesan, even though he'd protested before. Despite his age, he wasn't a big fan of candy. But his father told him it was impolite to refuse a gift, especially from a lady, so now he gave the sweets to his mother when they got home.

"Ichikawa-san," his father inclined his head to the young woman. "I see you're holding up quite well for your first week here. How are the customers?"

"Good, good. Hirose-san was complaining earlier about how Kume-san was cheating, but you know how they are. A lot of them still hope you'll have time to play _shidougo_ with them…"

Akira tuned the adults out. The Go function was really interesting and he'd learned a lot, so now the idea of teaching others seemed more boring than usual. He knew that out of politeness he couldn't really refuse, but perhaps he could convince the adults to let him review what he learned instead of playing _shidougo…_? He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to recall a particularly difficult strategy he'd learned, but his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden change in tone in his father's voice.

"Ichikawa-san, what's happening over there?"

Akira looked, and sure enough there was a mysterious crowd in the middle of the lounge.

"Ehhh? I don't know…what…oh! Before I forget, there was an older man who was looking for you – a Mutou-san. He should be waiting in the lounge."

The Meijin blinked before his face broke into a rare smile.

"Ah. _That_ explains it."

"Heh? What? What explains what, Touya Meijin?" But he'd already left in favour of navigating through the crowd, causing Akira to scramble after him after bidding a hasty thank you to the onee-san.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea when the customers saw the famous Go player arrive, but unlike normal days, everyone's attention returned to the game at hand. In fact, a few hands ushered the Meijin closer, as if to get him in on the action.

Akira was much smaller than everyone else, so he'd managed to squeeze his way through the forest of legs to see what everyone was looking at. But before he reached the front, he heard an "I have nothing" and a collective sigh as the tension was released.

"Great game, Mutou-san! You've just beaten our best player!"

"Compared to _you_, maybe. _I_ on the other hand might be able to win—"

"Forget it, Gotou-san. Didn't you see him just win in less than forty moves?"

"But now that the Meijin himself is here, I don't think _anyone_ can argue about who's the best!"

Many in the crowd chuckled, grinning at the prospect of the Meijin himself putting this new challenger in his place, but everyone in the room was surprised when the pro suddenly reached over and gave the older man an uncharacteristic hug.

"Mutou-sensei! It's been too long! And you've made yourself right at home, as I can see."

The other man laughed and returned the gesture.

"Touya-kun, it's great to see you too. And I'm not your sensei anymore, so you can stop calling me that."

"Well, I'm not a child anymore, so you can stop calling me 'kun'." They laughed again, and one of the regulars couldn't help but ask the question that everyone was thinking.

"Touya Meijin? Excuse me for asking, but how do you know Mutou-san? Is he your Go sensei?"

Even Akira was curious – he'd never seen the other man before, and to be on such friendly terms with his father meant that they probably knew each other from a long time ago.

"Ah. No, no – he used to tutor me in world history quite a while ago. Mutou-san was quite an avid historian back then."

"Archaeologist, my dear Touya-kun. And what do you mean by 'back then'? I'll have you know I recently scaled the depths of the Egyptian pyramids, and you wouldn't believe _half_ the things that happened to our team!"

Akira was a little sceptical at the sudden tirade of questions and tall tales that were being exchanged in that little lounge. Sure, his father's friend was a very good storyteller, but everything sounded so exaggerated and over-the-top that he wasn't sure how much of it was true. From what he could understand, he picked up the fact that Mutou-ojii-san was a treasure hunter of sorts, and travelled around the world to discover the ancient past.

"So, did you ever find any hidden treasure?" one of the patrons asked, leaning forward. Like the rest of the adults, he was completely caught in the spider-web of Mutou-san's adventures.

The spikey-haired gentleman paused for effect, before winking playfully.

"True treasure hunters never reveal whether they've found what they're looking for." His audience groaned, while the Meijin just chuckled. "But…I've given up the hunt. I'm now just your average game shop owner in Domino City."

"What? Why? Does this mean…you really _did _find treasure, didn't you? I knew it!"

Mutou-san smiled wistfully and shook his head. "I'm not going to confirm or deny it, but I can tell you that there are things in life that are definitely out of our control. And it's often these things that are worth much more than any hidden treasure."

Over twenty pairs of eyes stared at him with confused suspicion, which gave the Meijin the opportunity to cut in.

"Okay, enough with the badgering. And Mutou-san, while it's great to catch up with you again, surely you didn't come here just to share your stories with us?"

"Ever the serious boy, eh? Fine, fine. I actually stopped by to promote my new game shop and get a few advanced copies of the latest games, and I thought, 'Hey, why not visit some of my Tokyo friends while I'm here?' Imagine my surprise when I saw your face pop up on one of the news channels on the hotel's TV! A good thing, too – it's always easier to find people who are famous." He grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "It's even better when I know that famous person, because that means I have a way to promote myself in a very, very short amount of time. All I have to do is beat said famous person at what he's famous for."

That did it – the oh-so-innocent comment sent the entire Go salon into a frenzied uproar, and Akira couldn't help but plug both ears with his fingers. It took every ounce of his father's intimidation skills to calm down the mob, so the fire was simmering, but still ready to flare up at any moment.

"Very well, Mutou-_san_. I will play a game – an _even_ game, against you." Shocked whispers rose around them, and were ignored by the two main characters. "That was what you wanted, right?"

The older man grinned, looking much more dangerous than he did a few seconds ago. Everyone around them automatically cleared the area so they could sit at the best table that allowed everyone a good vantage point to watch the game.

The Meijin sat on one side, and motioned to his former teacher to do the same, when—

"_Eep!_"

Startled, Mutou-san turned to see that he'd almost squished his grandson against the seat, since Yugi had been trying to become one with his grandfather's shadow. In the mayhem of all the games and curious eyes, he'd forgotten that he'd even brought Yugi along despite the boy's neon-coloured hair. He flushed with embarrassment, turning even redder than Yugi (who had squeaked and gone all shy when all eyes were suddenly trained on him). He shook it off with his signature chuckle, and gently pushed a squirming Yugi forward by the shoulders.

"Gentlemen, may I present to you my one and only grandson, Yugi Mutou. Say hello, Yugi."

With his grandfather preventing him from running and/or hiding, all Yugi could do was bore holes in the ground with his eyes.

"He…llo."

Most murmured a reply, although some stared as if they'd just heard the world's cutest baby panda talk(1).

The Meijin smiled another rare smile, and Akira could recognise it as the one he used when Akira had just said or done something absolutely adorable. Needless to say, he didn't see that smile so often.

The green monster of jealousy reared its ugly head, and Akira tried to quash it down with limited success.

"I can see why you gave up hunting for treasure, Mutou-san. How old is he?"

"He'll turn eight this year."

Touya-san raised an eyebrow in surprise, but refrained from making any comments. He would've guessed that Yugi was barely five years old. To think he was older than his own son.

"He's usually a chatterbox when we're home, but…" Mutou-san glanced down before whispering something in Touya's ear. The Go pro frowned, and beckoned to Akira to come over.

Squatting down so he was at eye-level with Yugi, he pulled Akira to his side and said, "This is my son, Akira. He's almost seven, so he's your _otouto_. Your grandfather and I are going to play a game of Go, so is it okay if I let Akira play with you?"

Yugi glanced at the boy, then to his grandfather, who nodded and pushed him even further forward. Yugi sighed. He knew when he was cornered. Besides, the other kid looked like he couldn't harm an insect, even though he had an intense look in his eyes. But looks can be deceiving…

"But otou-san, I want to watch you play!" Akira didn't want to sound like a whiner, but the words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them.

His father merely gave him a stern look in response that said, "No arguing." Audibly, he replied, "I'm sure Yugi-kun would love it if you taught him how to play Go. Isn't that right, Mutou-san?"

"Heh, don't let his cute looks fool you, Akira-kun – we call him 'Yugi' for a reason! And Yugi," he suddenly gave the boy a death glare, "don't you dare let the Mutou name down."

"_Hiiieeeeeeee!_" Yugi squeaked again, and all the spikes of his hair shivered upwards like lightning.

"Now go make me proud, boy!" He ushered his grandson through the crowd, and when he passed by the younger Touya, he winked and mouthed a quick "Thank you" to him.

"Go on, Akira. I promise I will show you the game after dinner tonight." The Meijin had sat back down again, and was already clearing off the _goban's_ previous game and sorting the stones with practiced hands.

Akira sighed. Today was turning out to be a long, long day.

_-To be continued-_

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><p><em>Shidougo <em>is what they call a 'teaching game of Go' in the Go world. But I bet you knew that already, didn't you?

(1) Ah, the baby panda comment...I couldn't resist! Credit goes to the _Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series_, created by LittleKuriboh. I promise this will be the only reference to YGOTAS.

When I was writing this, I suddenly really wished I had a Yugi plushie. Hm.


	3. Meeting a Stranger: Part 3

I'd meant to upload this chapter last week, but life got in the way. Grr.

I forgot to mention this in the first part, but I'm pretty much following the manga version of Sugoroku Mutou (that's Yugi's grandpa). And I'm going with the whole Yugi-being-bullied-at school thing when he was young and had no friends except Anzu, which is pretty canon in both the manga and the anime series.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own nothing. Wait, that was a double-negative. Oops. Let me try that again: Me no own anything.

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><p><strong>It's Time to Play a Game<strong>

_Chapter 1: Meeting a Stranger (part 3)_

They extracted themselves from the crowd, who parted nicely for the young boys before filling the spaces up again, like water being poured onto a dry-cracked ground.

Dark jade eyes met amethyst eyes, and they studied one another.

"Ummm…so…would you like to play a game with me?" Akira broke the silence first. Since his father told him to play with the strange kid with crazy hair, then he might as well make the most of it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered that this was the first time he would be playing against someone his own age outside of his Go class. In fact, the only other child he played with before was a loud-mouthed boy called Kaga-san. He'd tried to be nice to the boy(1), but for some reason, that just made him angry.

Maybe he was setting himself up for another rejection, but he really didn't know whether there was any game out there that could be half as fun as his beloved Go.

Yugi fidgeted under Akira's stare. He felt very exposed, the same way he felt when yet another bully cornered him at school.

"Yugi-san?"

"What? Oh, right. A game. Uh, um…s-sure." He gave Akira his best smile, praying to whatever gods out there that the other boy wouldn't beat him up after the game. He knew his grandfather threatened him so he would play seriously, but if losing meant he could save himself from a beating, then he really couldn't see the appeal in winning. For now, though, he allowed himself to be dragged to a different table at the back of the room.

Akira clambered into the slightly-too-high chair, and motioned to Yugi to do the same.

"You might want to take your backpack off. Next time, you can leave it with Ichikawa-onee-san," Akira gestured to the backpack that Yugi had a death grip on ever since he left his grandfather's side. "So, have you ever played Go before?" Akira said, slipping into his 'teaching' mode.

"Um…I…I prefer to watch. But I know the rules and stuff…I'm usually watching when jii-chan plays."

"Okay. Then you know what _nigiri_ is, right? Here, take one of the pots." Go stones clattered clumsily on the _goban_, and math skills were put to the test. "You're white. That means I go first, but you get an extra 5.5 _moku_ at the end of the game. But you probably knew that already, right?"

Yugi nodded.

"Great. So, how many stones do you want to put down?"

"A…a handicap? But I'm older than you!" Yugi pouted, making Akira giggle.

"Fine, no handicap. Then…_onegaishimasu_."

Yugi saw him smile and caught the excitement in the boy's voice, and suddenly, playing a game with someone else didn't seem so bad after all.

-o-o-o-

"_Oooi, Yugi-kun! Where are you?_"

The two boys looked up from the board and blinked, as if both had forgotten where they were.

"Oh! Oh, sorry, Akira. I…I have to go." Yugi hesitated at Akira's crestfallen face, but gave him a genuine smile anyway. "But thanks for playing with me! It was really fun. I…I haven't played with someone else for a long time…well, jii-chan doesn't count."

"_Yuuuuugi!_"

At the second call, Yugi jumped down and grabbed his backpack, but the motion was so quick that something toppled out with a resounding _clink-clink-clink_.

Akira's eyes widened at the sight of little pieces of gold tumbling out of a golden box, but got down to help Yugi pick them up. Upon closer examination, he could see that there were some weird etchings on the box, and that each piece of gold was a different shape. Some were interlocked with one another, connected as if they were always meant to be together.

"What's this?"

"It's my new treasure. Jii-chan gave it to me on my birthday because he knows I love puzzles. I hope none of the pieces I managed to put together fell apart…" He pulled a face. "I'm usually good at solving puzzles, but this one's really, really hard. It's very different from those 2D puzzles that give you a hint by showing you what the final picture is."

Akira picked up two pieces, fascinated and a little curious about what the finished puzzle would look like. On a sudden impulse, he fiddled with the pieces in his hands, and then…

_Click!_

The two boys stared.

"Wha…how did you…"

"_YU-GI!_ Didn't you hear me calling you for the past five minutes? We're going, _now!"_

The spikey-haired boy _eeped!_ and whipped his head around to see his grandfather looming over him with an ominous aura causing the air around him to crackle.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I'm coming now!" He quickly scooped the puzzle pieces back into the box, and paused before taking the now-connected pieces from Akira's hands. Swinging the backpack by the straps, he barely had time to throw a "Byeee! Thanks again!" over his shoulder before his grandfather dragged him off.

Akira half-waved back, speechless at the abrupt exit of the Mutous, when his father appeared before him while shaking his head in amusement.

"A strange pair, no doubt. But both good people." The Meijin voiced both their thoughts. "I was hoping Mutou-san could stay longer, but apparently he forgot about the train he had to catch. At least we managed to finish the game."

"Oh. Who won? Was Mutou-ojii-san strong?"

"Patience, Akira. After dinner, like I promised. Besides, I also want to see how you fared against little Yugi." He had a mischievous glint in his eye – another rare expression. It seemed like the entire day was filled with rare and strange happenings.

"Yes, otou-san." He sighed, fiddling with his hands and suddenly feeling quite lonely. He glanced at what remained of his and Yugi's game, the only 'footprints' left by the other boy. "Otou-san…can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"What makes a person a 'friend'?"

"Well…" The Meijin caught the tone in his voice, but instead of answering immediately, he picked up his son and set him on the chair so they could both clear up the _goban_ that the boys had been playing on. While all traces of the game were being removed, he tried to think of the best answer to the deceptively simple question. "Well, I think that as long as you like each other and like to spend time together, that person is a friend."

"But aren't friends supposed to stick together? How can they be friends if…if they're apart?" Akira put the lid back on the pot of stones, and the table was tidy again, looking as if nothing had happened. How could him and Yugi be friends if they'd only met for a few moments before being forced to say goodbye, and without even knowing the next time they could play together again?

"Akira." The older man put a hand on his son's head, making the boy look up at him. "Do you know what 'Go' means in English?"

"Umm…it's also the word for _igo_, right?"

"Yes, but it has another, more common meaning." He smiled fully this time, removing all traces of his usual stern face. "'Go' means '_iku_'. No matter who you are, where you are, or what you're doing, there's only one thing people will always do – they keep moving forward."

Akira looked into his father's deep brown eyes, trying hard to understand what they were saying.

"Keep moving forward, Akira. Don't ever be left behind. That's the promise you make with any friend." He turned towards the door, so Akira couldn't see his face. "And maybe one day, you'll bump into someone you know."

-_End of Chapter 1-_

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><p>(1) For those who don't remember, Akira and Kaga used to be in the same Go class. Kaga could never win against Akira, but when Akira offered to let him win, he got really mad because it meant Akira didn't really care whether he lost or won. This sparked the beginning of some serious anger issues for Kaga (seriously...check out chapter 8 in the manga).<p>

_Igo _is Japanese for the game, Go, while _iku_ is Japanese for the verb 'go'. In case that part was confusing. I'm not sure whether Touya Meijin actually knows any English, but in my story, he does. So there.

I'd also like to point out that technically, if Yugi's puzzle were made of solid gold, then it would weigh about 10lbs. No wonder he's so short.

Anyway, that wraps up chapter 1! Feel free to review, leave comments, constructive criticisms, etc. I will try to get chapter 2 up by next week, but no promises.


	4. Let's Play a Game: Part 1

Told ya no promises. So this is a few days late, but it's better than being late by, say, an entire year.

Thanks to Ardonius-Servant-Of-Zeta for reviewing! I agree that Go is a very ancient Asian game, but one doesn't have to be ancient or even Asian to understand it. Haha.

So the second saga begins! This one takes place during the time when Hikaru goes to the Heart of the Stone Go salon to train for the Pro exam in the Hikaru no Go world (around chapter 70 in the manga), and between the Duelist Kingdom and Legendary Hero arcs in the Yu-Gi-Oh world. So expect some tiny spoilers from each universe.

/.../ = Yugi's thoughts  
> /.../ / = Yami's thoughts

**Disclaimer: **Is it so shocking that I don't own either one of these mangas/animes? Er...actually, it's not that shocking. Stop laughing at me.

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><p><strong>It's Time to Play a Game<strong>

_Chapter 2: Let's Play a Game (Part 1)_

"OOOIIIII! Is the brat here? I brought some cannon fodder!"

Kawai-san's loud voice made half the people in the Go salon turn their heads, while the other half merely rolled their eyes.

The owner looked up briefly from behind the counter and was about to tell him to keep it down when he saw that Kawai-san was gripping the wrist of a young boy, who had an expression on that clearly said he did _not_ want to be here. He arched an eyebrow.

"Kawai-san, should I report a kidnapping to the police?"

The taxi driver dragged the boy over, snorting his contempt.

"Please. I'd say he deserves to be kidnapped, after what he said in front of me! And after I so nicely rescued him from being lost in the middle of a backward alley, too!"

The boy shrunk back as far as he could at the accusations, which made him look even smaller than he already was.

The Go owner frowned.

"Let go of the poor boy – I think you've scared him enough, what with your looks and brashness. Maybe Shindo-kun is beginning to rub off on you."

Ignoring the driver's rants at the insults, he looked at the 'victim', who didn't look like he quite fit in. For one, he looked around eight or nine, which was a sixth of the age of his average patron, and his hair was…extremely bizarre, to put it mildly.

_Kids and their crazy hairstyles today – I bet they just try to outdo one another_, the owner thought, but he chuckled – he used to think Shindou's hairstyle was the most extreme he'd ever seen. The boy also had the strangest accessories, especially the upside-down golden pyramid that hung off his neck on a chain. It was gripped tightly between the fingers of the boy's hand, the one that wasn't trapped by the driver. In fact, his entire outfit would have screamed 'MASOCHIST' if the boy didn't look so frightened at the moment. And if he wasn't just a kid.

He gave a reassuring smile to the scared boy before walking over and separating him from Kawai-san's grip.

"Hello there; I apologise for Kawai-san's behaviour – he tends to get pretty worked up over nothing."

"OI!"

The violet-eyed boy shifted uncomfortably, but managed a small smile.

"Um, it's okay. He's not as scary as some people I've met before." The smile widened, as if this was supposed to be funny instead of alarming. "I'm just confused – Taxi-driver-san started spouting some stuff about 'teaching me my place' and how 'seeing is believing' and all. I don't even know what I said to trigger all this…"

"WHAT! You brat; you know very well what you said!" Kawai-san reached over and gave the boy a noogie, drawing a yelp from him.

The owner sighed, grabbing Kawai-san's wrist and separating him from the boy again.

"Let him breathe for a moment. So, kid, what's your name? Where did Kawai-san find you?"

The kid looked down sheepishly, running his hand through his tri-coloured hair to undo the mess the noogie had done.

"I'm Yugi, Yugi Mutou. I'm here on vacation with my jii-chan, and I was exploring the area when I got a little lost." He had a glazed look for a split second, before his blush deepened. "Okay, _more_ than a little lost. And I didn't bring my wallet or cell phone because I wasn't counting on getting lost. But then Kawai-san found me, and offered to give me a ride back to where I'm staying. Then we started talking…and I guess I said something I shouldn't have, and then he dragged me here." Yugi bit his lip, wondering if he should apologise even though he had no idea what he'd done wrong.

The owner looked at the boy, unsure if he should feel relieved or worried that he had willingly followed a complete stranger into his car, even if said stranger was a taxi driver. Didn't the boy have parents who loved him enough to say "Don't talk to strangers," or at the very least, "Don't go into a stranger's car"? He shook his head in disapproval.

"Kid – Yugi-kun, you shouldn't be wandering around alone when you're not familiar with the area, even if it's in broad daylight! Elementary students especially!"

Yugi stared at him and sighed in frustration, as if he'd heard it all before but was annoyed anyway. But he was annoyed for a very different reason.

"I'm a _high-schooler_."

The owner blinked in surprise, while Kawai-san, who'd been grumbling to himself (but was still listening to the conversation) burst into a roar of laughter.

"WAHAHAHAHA! Yeah right! And I'm the Queen of England! Hey brat, you're funnier than I thought!"

He gave Yugi another full-blown noogie, while Yugi squirmed and protested feebly under the assault. It didn't help that a certain spirit was laughing instead of trying to help out.

/_Yami!_ You're not helping!/

/ /Sorry, sorry./ / Yami floated somewhere next to them, still amused despite apologising.

Their telepathic conversation was interrupted by the owner.

"Even if you _are_ in high school, you still shouldn't wander off by yourself – what if you came across someone a lot worse than Kawai-san?"

Yugi stopped squirming to see the genuine concern reflected in the owner's kind eyes, but he was uncertain about how to answer the question. How could he explain that there was a spirit living inside of his puzzle that could banish bad guys to the shadow realm without breaking a sweat?

He opted for a partial truth – he was becoming very good at telling those.

"Eh-heh…thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself." He gave his most winning, innocent smile, coupled with the puppy-eyes that even Yami didn't know how to resist.

The owner sighed, but dropped it. It was a mystery he wasn't sure he wanted to solve.

"So, why did Kawai-san bring you here?" He changed subjects, and they both looked at the man for an answer.

"OH! That's right; don't think I'll let you off _that_ easily, brat! You said you were the 'King of Games', right?"

"Umm, I was just saying that's what people call me—"

"Well, say that only after you've defeated _our_ brat!"

"Hey wait – who's going to pay for him?" The owner looked expectantly at Kawai-san, who humphed and took out a five-hundred yen piece from his pocket, flipping it towards the owner to catch.

With that, Kawai-san was dragging Yugi off again, towards the little crowd that had ignored their entire exchange in favour of observing some games.

Having nothing much to do, the owner followed the curious pair – if this Yugi was another prodigy like Hikaru, he definitely didn't want to miss it. Maybe he'd even get to witness the birth of a rivalry!

Yugi groaned – he had a feeling that everything just became a lot more complicated than he'd like it to be.

/Me and my big mouth./

_-To be continued-_

* * *

><p>Poor Yugi. It seems he's always being forced to do things he doesn't want to do.<p>

That aside, if anyone knows the Go salon's owner's name, please let me know. I'm pretty sure he remained nameless in HnG, but I could have missed something.

I just _love_ writing Kawai-san - he's funny, _and_ he basically writes himself. Like, I don't even have to force myself to be funny when he's around. And gasp! There's some spirit action going on! What's going to happen? Well, you'll just have to wait for part 2! In the meantime, feel free to review and/or leave a comment.


	5. Let's Play a Game: Part 2

Let me hereby declare that it is now scientifically proven that reviews increase the speed of updates.

/.../ = Yugi's thoughts  
> /.../ / = Yami's thoughts  
>\...\ = Hikaru's thoughts<br>\\...\\ = Sai's thoughts

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Hikaru no Go_ or _Yu-Gi-Oh. _All I have is a muse with a crazy sense of imagination.

* * *

><p><strong>It's Time to Play a Game<strong>

_Chapter 2: Let's Play a Game (Part 2)_

There seemed to be an intense duel going on in the centre of the crowd, and when they got closer it was only then that Yugi recognised what they were playing. In the confusion of the 'kidnapping', he'd totally missed the sign of the place they passed by when they entered, but now he could see that he'd been brought to a Go salon.

He coughed discreetly into his free hand – he'd forgotten how much smoke could accumulate in places like this(1).

"Make way; comin' through!"

The taxi driver barged through the crowd, eliciting a few disgruntled sounds, but was let through regardless. Yugi, being so short of stature (curse that delayed growth spurt!), had a hard time trying to peer around the tall adults while mumbling apologies on Kawai-san's behalf, but when they reached the front, the older man spoke for the both of them.

"Yo, brat! When you're done, play this kid over here – he says he can beat you 'cos he's the 'King of Games!'"

"Wait, I didn't say—"

"_Shhh_!" A few glares were sent their way, and Yugi could see Kawai-san rolling his eyes behind his sunglasses.

"Fine, fine. I'll wait 'til the games are over. Not that they'd take a long time anyway." He snickered, earning a few more glares. But he quietened down and stepped to the side, allowing Yugi to see what had everyone's attention.

His first thought was that it really didn't matter whether they were silent or not, as all four players radiated an aura so intense that it could be cut through with a knife.

His second thought was that of surprise at the scene in front of him – there were three middle-aged to older men, all facing off against one teen that seemed to be around his age. It was almost comical; like watching old men ganging up against a child, if it weren't for the light sheen of sweat he could see on the older men. There were three _gobans_ between them, which also caught him by surprise – he didn't know that you could play more than one game at a time, but in retrospect, it did make sense, if the single player was a lot stronger.

He shuffled closer to get a better look at the teen, when he felt (rather than saw) Yami stiffen up next to him. He turned his head minutely in the direction of the pharaoh, wondering what caused his reaction.

/Yami? Is something wrong?/

/ /…/ /

He didn't reply, which worried Yugi a little more.

/Yami?/

The spirit shuffled to the side, as if trying to avoid something. Which was strange, as Yami was the type of person…spirit…that stood his ground, his stubbornness almost as big as his pride. He never tip-toed around anything, yet here he was, acting like Yugi.

/Yami?/ Yugi tried again, curious about his counterpart's strange behaviour.

/ /I thought…it's nothing, Aibou. Just…I thought I sensed something./ / Yami frowned. / /It's very faint though, so it might be nothing…/ /

He trailed off, and Yugi wondered if it was the spirit's paranoia acting up again. He shrugged mentally. He'd keep an eye out, but since he couldn't see or sense anything outright strange or dangerous, he didn't see the point in fretting over a huge 'maybe'. He'd leave that job to the spirit.

He turned his attention back to the teen, watching the almost invisible fire dancing behind the green eyes. They reminded him of something old; something nostalgic. The boy looked like any good duellist did during an intense duel, and Yugi already felt like they would get along. Apart from the blond bangs, the other kid looked like any normal teenager, even though Yugi was pretty sure that the bangs were bleached and not natural, like his own hair. At least he didn't have piercings all over his face, like that creepy pantomiming rare hunter he had to duel during the Battle City Tournament.

He shuddered at the memory. Turning his thoughts back to the current situation, he tried to follow the flow of the games being played. Even though he knew how to play Go on account of his jii-chan, he'd only played a few games here and there, quickly finding that the game didn't really suit him – not because the game itself was bad, but because no one his age seemed to play it. Well, his classmates had refused to play anything with him anyway (until Yami came along), but he hadn't wanted to completely turn other kids off from approaching him because he had a _goban_ out. Plus, Go was a two-player game, and his jii-chan only had so much free time.

But even with his limited experience, he could see that this Shindou person was good; very good, not only because he was taking on three other people at the same time, but also because he could sense the overwhelming 'attack power' in the way Shindou placed his stones.

Soon, Yugi found himself being drawn into the intensity of the game, trying to read the strategies that were running through the players' minds.

He was so absorbed that he almost didn't even notice the first "I have nothing" and the harrumph of defeat that went with it, and when the other two soon followed after, he held back a sigh of disappointment. The games ended much too quickly, but they were well played nonetheless.

As soon as the last player resigned, Kawai-san pounced on the other teen and gave him a noogie.

"Whooohoo! Brat, you really creamed them this time! It might've been different if I'd been playing, but still."

"ARGH! Kawai-san, stop doing that! And when did you get here, anyway?"

Everyone burst into laughter, the lingering tension dissipating along with the smoke from forgotten cigarettes.

"Hmph! Concentrating so hard that you didn't even notice me come in, eh?" He rubbed the boy's head even harder before finally letting him go. Then he turned his glinting eyes to one so-called 'King of Games'. "But now that you're done, I want you to play this midget over here!"

/Uh-oh…/

Yugi gulped as Kawai-san dragged him over and forced him to sit in the chair across from Shindou. He fiddled with the puzzle to reassure himself, but it didn't help as he glanced about nervously: something he definitely shouldn't have done. Now the eyes of the entire crowd were on him. More specifically, his crazy hair. Not for the first time in his life, Yugi cursed himself for being born with such eye-catching hair.

His violet eyes met Shindou's green, and he cringed inwardly out of reflex.

"Ummmmm…hi?"

"Wow. Where'd you find this grade-schooler, Kawai-san?"

The old insult made his temper flare again.

"I'm fifteen!" He pouted, even though he knew it was far from intimidating.

"Woah; no way! You're older than me? Cool!" The serious, focused teenager was gone and was instantly replaced by a hyperactive boy, making Yugi do a double-take. Shindou had a big grin on his face, and his eyes were shining in excitement. "I mean, it gets really boring being surrounded by old geezers all the time, ya know? Plus you have _awesome_ hair – blond bangs all the way(2)!" The boy's eyes lit up mischievously. "Nothing like these geezers, who hardly even have any hair left!"

"You brat! Being disrespectful again, are you?" Another noogie and more scuffling ensued, and Yugi was suddenly reminded of his friends Jonouchi and Honda. He grinned then, forgiving the other for the comment about his age. The boy exuded a cheerful aura that automatically made him feel at ease, which was much appreciated to a non-local.

"So what's your name? You don't look like you're from around here, and you're definitely not an _insei_(3)…"

Yugi rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, repeating the same story he told the owner a few moments ago. But unlike the owner, Shinou merely laughed and elbowed Kawai-san.

"Kawai-san, you shouldn't go around kidnapping lost kids! Not that that's surprising; I totally knew you were the gangster-type!" He got bopped on the head by a miffed taxi driver, but continued to grin. "So, Yugi eh? What a weird name – I've never heard of anyone called 'game'."

"Like you have the right to say that, brat – you're Hikaru, which is even weirder since there's nothing 'light'-like about you!" They got into another argument, but Yugi wasn't listening. He saw the way Yami completely froze up when Shindou's name was mentioned, and he sent a worried thought to the spirit.

/Okay, now I _know_ something's up. What's wrong Yami?/

/ /Aibou…I think we should switch./ /

Yugi frowned, getting even more worried at those words.

/What? Why? Do you sense something? Is it shadow power?/

/ /Well, not quite. Actually I don't know what it is, but I sense…something otherworldly about this boy. And his name is 'Hikaru'…/ /

/You think…you think he has a 'Yami'? Or a millennium item?/ Yugi shot a look at Shindou, his eyes roaming all around the other boy to check for anything that glittered with the slightest hint of gold.

/ /I'm not saying he has a millennium item, nor do I sense any dark energy, but there seems to be some sort of spiritual force surrounding the boy. It's very faint, mind you, and I thought I was imagining it when we were standing further away. But now that we're closer…/ / The pharaoh clenched his hands into fists – a sure sign of his nervousness. / /I think we should switch, just in case./ /

Meanwhile, Hikaru had calmed down enough to spot how Yugi had taken on a slightly blank look. It was almost unnerving, yet strangely familiar.

\Ne, Sai, what do you think he's doing?\

The Heian ghost looked at the newcomer, temporarily forgetting his excitement at the prospect of watching another game of Go.

\\Hm…Maybe he's in shock at seeing your poor manners towards your elders, Hikaru.\\

The boy glared daggers at his mentor.

\He's a teen like me, Sai. Not some old guy concerned with 'respecting the geezers' and all that stuff.\

Sai ignored Hikaru's rude comment, tapping his lips with the tip of his fan thoughtfully. It could be shock, but somehow, he felt like he'd seen such an expression before.

His eyes lit up, finding the answer he was looking for.

\\No, wait - I've seen this look before. It's what _you_ look like when you talk to me in your mind, and you don't want other people to notice.\\

Hikaru blinked, and for a split second he wondered if it were possible for there to be _two_ Sais in this world. Is that why this boy was here, asking for a game against him? He panicked for a moment, wondering if his secret had been discovered somehow. But then his logic caught up, and he scoffed at the idea, albeit a bit nervously.

\No way. I think I'd rather go with the 'he's in shock' explanation. Or maybe he's just spacing out.\

He waved a hand in front of Yugi to prove his point, and sure enough, the boy snapped out of his daze.

"Ah-haha…sorry about that. I was thinking about…something else." Yugi cringed inwardly at the poor lie, hoping that Hikaru wouldn't notice it. "You were saying?"

Shindou grinned, unfazed.

"So I hear you wanna play a game against me, Mr. 'King of Games'?"

"Kick his butt, Shindou!" Kawai-san encouraged. Apparently, the older man had explained everything to Shindou during their little argument. Most likely a very distorted version of what happened, if Yugi were to judge by the way Shindou was eyeing him the way a predator eyes its prey.

He held his hands up in a placating manner, wondering if there was any way he could get out of this without Yami going all overprotective on him or Shindou from taking his 'challenge' seriously. He wanted convince Yami that he could handle this one – he was a big boy now, and he'd duelled far more threatening people in the past.

"Ummm, please let me explain – the 'King of Games' thing is just a title I won for playing Duel Monsters, and even though I'm not too bad at other games either, it doesn't mean I'm the best at every single game! Besides, I've only played Go a few times before." He nibbled on his bottom lip, hoping they would believe him.

His innocent looks failed him for once, as Kawai-san draped a lazy arm around Hikaru's shoulders and said, "Yeah, right. I'm not letting you out that easy, brat! So Shindou? Are ya gonna whip his ass or what?"

The boy shook himself free from the driver's arm, clearly annoyed.

"Whatever, Kawai-san. It's clear he doesn't really want to play, so let him go." With that, Shindou began to look at the quiet crowd for any real challengers.

Sensing that his chance at seeing something interesting was slowly slipping away, he crossed his arms and glared at Yugi before a slow smile spread across his face.

"Yo, brat! If you wanna go home, you gotta play Shindou at least once! And if you win, I'll even drive you there for free! Unless, of course, your title is just exclusive to little kids…"

Yugi's eyes narrowed, feeling the competitive side of him rising up to the challenge. Plus the midget comments were getting annoying.

"Fine. I'll play a game because I need to get back before my jii-chan calls the police to look for me. And arresting you along the way."

Kawai-san just clapped a hand on his back and laughed.

"You're on! Shindou, clear the _goban_ – we have a challenger!"

_-To be continued-_

* * *

><p>(1) Go salons in Hikaru's world seem to be full of smokers all the time. I've never been to a Go salon myself, so I don't know whether this is true in real life.<br>(2) I was going to use the phrase "for the win" until I discovered that it wasn't invented until 2010!  
>(3) <em>Insei<em> are students who train in order to pass the Go pro exam in Japan. But you probably already knew that.

Some of you might be thinking, "Why doesn't Yugi remember playing Go with Akira?" Well, he hasn't forgotten, it's just that there's so much going on that he's not actively trying to remember that particular game.

Apart from that, if the 'thought system' is too confusing, please let me know. I've tried some symbols, but for some reason some of them disappear after I save the file. So review and/or comment, and part 3 will come soon!


	6. Let's Play a Game: Part 3

Thank you for all the reviews and alerts! It really helps keep me going, even though I've planned out the whole story already.

Anyway, without further ado, onto the next part! But just before that...

**Disclaimer:** The one downside of writing fanfiction instead of originals, because every time I have to write one of these, I'm reminded of how I'm basically leeching off of someone else's imagination (for the most part). So yeah, I don't own _Hikaru no Go _or _Yu-Gi-Oh._

And since there were no complaints, I'll be using the same 'thought' system:  
>.../ = Yugi's thoughts  
> /.../ / = Yami's thoughts  
>\...\ = Hikaru's thoughts<br>\\...\\ = Sai's thoughts

* * *

><p><strong>It's Time to Play a Game<strong>

_Chapter 2: Let's Play a Game (Part 3)_

At Kawai-san's command, Shindou grinned. He supposed he should be feeling sorry for Yugi since he was manipulated into playing a game, but he was actually excited. Even though he was almost certain that Yugi would be a complete beginner based on his supposed previous experience, it would be nice to let his mind relax after having to concentrate on simultaneous games.

\\Ne, ne! Hikaru, can I play? Pleeeeaasseee?\\ Sai's usual plea interrupted his thoughts, but this time he felt a little sorry about turning the ghost down.

\No Sai – there are too many people around.\

\\But a lot of them are leaving anyway! Please, Hikaru? Just one game?\\

Sai had his signature puppy-eyes look on and was clinging to him in earnest, and even though he was right about the crowd thinning out at the prospect of a not-so-high-level game, he still didn't think they should risk it. Also, he was sure Kawai-san would stay throughout the whole thing; after all, he was the one who instigated the game.

\\But the child even said he's on a vacation, so we'll probably never see him again after this game, right?\\

_\**No!**_ Kawai-san's watching us, and he knows my playing style.\

Cue Sai's wail of despair, and it took every ounce of Hikaru's self-control to not plug his ears with his fingers.

"Is something wrong, Shindou-san?" Yugi asked. For a flash, Hikaru thought he saw a more calculating look behind those large, innocent eyes, but when he blinked it was gone.

"Eh-heh…no; everything's fine. Anyway, how many stones do you want?"

/ /Yugi! You saw the way he said that – he's clearly lying. And I felt a spike in that otherworldly aura surrounding him. In fact, it's increasing now as we speak! We should switch _now,_ Yugi!/ /

/Yami! I'm not switching just on a vague feeling or hunch!/ he retorted, determined to play his own game. In the back of his mind, he knew he was being a little selfish, but he just didn't see where the danger was, especially in playing a harmless game of Go. It wasn't Duel Monsters, where there was always the possibility of being dragged into a shadow game. /Besides, this isn't like a duel where everyone's standing at least a few feet apart. We're practically right in front of each other, and there's no way no one wouldn't notice the sudden change./

On the outside, Yugi pretended to think deeply, before replying "I don't need a handicap" to Shindou. He got a raised eyebrow in response – clearly the teen expected to give him a big handicap, but Yugi refused to lower his standards. Besides, it was a friendly game with someone his own age.

"No handicap? Are you absolutely sure?"

He nodded. "It's just a friendly game; I don't really mind if I lose. But I'm not saying that I won't be trying my best to win, either." He smiled, hoping that Shindou would accept. Even if he lost, he could challenge the boy to a game of Duel Monsters afterwards. He looked the type that would suit the card game much more than the traditional game.

Hikaru looked at Yugi dubiously. He didn't want to lose, but he didn't want to cream the other kid either. Maybe he was lying about his limited experience? But he shrugged the matter aside – after all, he'd done the same to Touya with their first game together, even though it was Sai who was playing. In the corner of his mind, he felt that the whole situation was getting a little too eerily familiar. He shook his mind to clear his thoughts – now was not the time, damn it!

Yami had stopped voicing his worries about the game, but Yugi could still sense the spirit's intense displeasure at his stubbornness. Since that couldn't be helped, Yugi tried to reassure the spirit through their link instead.

/How about this – if there's any hint at all that he's going to go all weird on me, we'll switch. I_ promise_./

He felt the spirit hesitate, before nodding reluctantly. Very reluctantly. But Yugi won the argument, so he smiled in his mind.

/Besides, I want to play, and it's not like you've played Go before, right?/ He heard another heavy sigh and a 'humph' – the best he could get out of the pharaoh at the moment.

-o-o-o-

\\Ne, Hikaru, he has that look again.\\

\Stop it, Sai. He does _not_ have a thousand-year-old ghost haunting him and forcing him to play Go!\

Hikaru sounded like he was trying to reassure himself of that thought as much as he was trying to tell Sai to do the same, causing Sai to huff in defiance and disbelief. He was still a little miffed at Hikaru for not letting him play and for the roundabout insult to his person.

\\How can you be so sure of that?\\

\Because if he did, it would be the end of the world to try and pitch two Go-obsessed ghosts against one another. The world would drown in a wave of tears of happiness, with Go stones flying everywhere.\

\\Hey!\\ Sai pouted, but couldn't help entertaining such an idea. It would be wonderful if he could find a rival in this world this time around, even though he knew the chances of that were very slim.

Hikaru ignored him again, getting ready to concentrate on the game.

"_Nigiri_."

Yugi blinked at the term, before remembering that they were playing Go and not in a sushi restaurant. In fact, he had half-expected Shindou to say "Shuffle" or "Draw". He groaned inwardly – he was clearly not used to the game, not after playing Duel Monsters for so long. But he reached into the Go _ke_ anyway and pulled out a handful of stones, plopping them onto the _goban_.

"Okay, so you're black and I'm white. _Komi_'s at five-and-a-half _moku_. Get ready to be schooled by one Hikaru Shindou!"

Yugi had to crack a grin; his enthusiasm was contagious. But as they cleared the board, he saw Shindou's face harden in concentration – the same look a duellist would get during a battle. He felt a similar look take over his own face as he tuned out Kawai-san's cheers, and concentrated on forming his own strategy. He had the advantage of having seen a little of Shindou's style of playing, plus he picked up on a few things while watching the games.

/Wish me luck!/ he thought to Yami, feeling the reassuring support of the spirit's presence and drawing on every last ounce of his experience with the traditional game. He was going to need it, if he wanted to win.

_-To be continued-_

* * *

><p>Three parts into this storychapter and the actual game _still_ hasn't started yet. Well, in both animes, games were often drawn out to be at least 2-3 episodes long, sometimes even longer, soooooo yeah. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

For those unfamiliar with Go terms, here's a quick glossary:

Go _ke_: a pot for holding the stones.  
><em>Goban<em>: the playing board for Go.  
><em>Nigiri<em>: what players say before determining who plays which colour.

Poor Sai and Yami; both shot down by their respective hosts. Haha. The next part will be up soon since this one is a little short. But meanwhile, continue to review/comment! Each one is much appreciated. =)


	7. Let's Play a Game: Part 4

And so it begins. The game, that is.

This part contains a hidden spoiler, if that makes any sense. What I mean is that if you know the ending to the series, you'd be able to pick up the spoiler. If you haven't, then...you have been warned?

**Disclaimer:** Click the "back" button to access the previous chapter. Now press control (or command) + F on your computer. Type in the word "disclaimer". Read.

'Thought' system:  
>.../ = Yugi's thoughts  
> /.../ / = Yami's thoughts  
>\...\ = Hikaru's thoughts<br>\\...\\ = Sai's thoughts

* * *

><p><strong>It's Time to Play a Game<strong>

_Chapter 2: Let's Play a Game (Part 4)_

_Pachi. Pachi._

The only sound that could be heard was the sound of stones being placed. Yugi had a bit of trouble at first with remembering how to hold them, but soon got the hang of it.

Hikaru played his own stones a little safer than he normally would, testing the abilities of his new opponent. He had observed how Yugi fumbled at times with the smoothness of the stones, and was reminded of the time when he held them in the same way. It would've made him wistful, if he wasn't concentrating on the game. So Yugi wasn't lying when he said he'd only played the game a few times before. He also noticed that Yugi was a little slow in placing his next move, taking more time to think over where he wanted to play next. It was fine since they didn't have a timer, but Hikaru was a little worried that it would mean that there might be a phase where Yugi would spend five or even ten minutes on a single move, dragging out the game.

_Pachi_.

Thirty-odd moves into the game, Hikaru frowned. His opponent was holding up a lot better than Hikaru had expected from a beginner. He could almost hear Sai's interested hum behind him, knowing that the ghost was watching every move with great curiosity and anticipation.

\Okay, let's see how you respond to this!\

Hikaru grinned, and placed his first attacking stone into enemy territory. He was still debating whether he should be playing _shidougo _or not, and Yugi's response would be the deciding factor.

_Pachi_.

Hikaru narrowed his eyes.

\Oh, so you're going there, eh? Let's see how you handle _this!\_

A full-blown onslaught erupted across the _goban_, and though Hikaru knew he should be more surprised when he found that Yugi could keep up with his pace, he was too busy trying to beat down the other teen's attacks. Before he knew it, he was nowhere near playing _shidougo_.

Kawai-san was mumbling something under his breath, but neither boy paid attention to him. They were lost in creating their universe of stones.

Yugi was feeling quite comfortable for the first ten, twenty moves, allowing his gaming instincts to take over. In fact, he realised early on that Go wasn't that much different from Duel Monsters – you had to know when to attack, when to defend, when to enforce your stones' shape and when to lay traps while trying to avoid your opponent's traps, or deliberately trigger them in order to lay your own, more intricate trap. If you substituted the cards for stones, it had all the basic principles of a Duel Monster battle. Sure, it didn't have all the fancy designs the cards had, but Yugi felt the same thrill of trying to outwit his opponent. In a way, Go did that better than Duel Monsters did because it was boiled down to black and white, so simple, yet filled with as many infinite possibilities as Duel Monsters was. So when Hikaru had attacked him, he wasn't as surprised as he would have been.

/All right – let me show you what I've got!/

He gritted his teeth in determination, responding in the defensive but always looking for ways to counterattack and retaliate.

-o-o-o-

Sai tapped his fan on his lips, surprised at the intensity of the game. He hadn't expected the other boy to be able to pull out even half of Hikaru's full strength, yet here he was, forcing Hikaru to get serious. They were playing as almost-equals, and he realised that if Yugi had requested for a handicap, Hikaru would be struggling a lot more than he currently was.

But that was worrying in itself – or should it mean that Sai should celebrate? He couldn't decide whether the boy's unusual strength meant he was a Go genius, or whether it spoke of something more…like that second ghost Hikaru was talking about. To have only played a 'few' games and hold so well against Hikaru who was ready to become a pro practically screamed 'PRODIGY', or at the very least, someone who was extremely gifted at strategy games. Either way, Yugi had definitely caught the attention of everyone in the salon, and the crowd was as thick as it was when Hikaru was playing against the three other patrons.

Sai glanced at Yugi, and out of curiosity, decided to walk over to the boy, wondering if he could somehow find out whether there was a spirit behind Yugi's moves.

-o-o-o-

When Yugi had refused to switch, Yami was a bit put-off. His partner almost never outright refused his requests, especially when he was being reasonable. He was going to retreat inside the puzzle to sulk a little, but he couldn't help being interested in a game that he'd never played before. So he stood to Yugi's right, his crimson eyes taking in all the intricacies of the game in front of him.

He had been a little distracted during the games between the blond boy and the three men, but still managed to catch the gist of how to play. The stones were always trying to surround one another while claiming territory at the same time, being placed in a manner similar to the moves to an intricate sword dance. Players had to decide whether to attack, defend or strengthen with their stones, and it looked extremely difficult to find the right balance. It also required a heavy amount of reading ahead, but Yami caught on quickly due to his proficiency at forming strategies. It was one reason why he was very good at laying traps and using spells, and he had the feeling that Go was the same. Well that, and the Heart of the Cards helped to secure his wins. He quirked a smile at that – Yugi hadn't noticed, but he saw that the Go salon was named 'Heart of the Stone', and he'd briefly wondered if it had anything to do with the Heart of the Cards. Perhaps there was a way to win this game with just the right hand, where a stone was placed in the perfect place with perfect timing…

Suddenly, the feeling that had been nagging him grew a lot stronger, as if it were sitting right on top of him, making Yami's eyes widen in shock. But he kept his expression and emotions under tight control – he didn't want to disturb Yugi's concentration now, not when he seemed to be doing so well. He looked around cautiously, hoping that Yugi wouldn't notice his behaviour. What _was_ making him feel so strange? It was nothing like the evil that radiated from the Millennium Ring or Rod when Bakura or Marik was using it, nor was it that queasy, toxic-sludge feeling that surrounded him whenever he was duelling in the Shadow Realm. Yet the power still felt like it fell in the category of 'mysterious spiritual power', and now that it increased in intensity, he could safely say that it didn't possess an ounce of darkness.

Yami hesitated. He felt silly, and hoped that Yugi wouldn't notice, but he closed off the mind-link they had so he could project his thoughts.

/ /…Hello? Is anyone there?/ /

He was met with silence. He held his breath, fervently hoping that he wasn't just making up the whole thing in his mind. Perhaps it was coming from inside the puzzle? He really hoped not – he couldn't send something he couldn't see, much less know next to nothing about, to the Shadow Realm.

He tried again.

/ /Can anyone hear me?/ /

He felt the power's presence shift a tiny bit, but that was all. He blinked.

Perhaps it wasn't sentient, just a source of lingering energy or something.

All at once, the presence left altogether as if it had retreated, its power reducing back to a nearly untraceable murmur.

Yami frowned. There was definitely much more going on here than he would ever know, and he silently chalked it along with the numerous other mysteries that he'd probably only get to solve at a later date.

He sighed, and turned back to watch the game.

-o-o-o-

Sai had hovered next to the spikey-haired boy, waving his long sleeves in front of the boy's face. He wasn't expecting much; after all, everyone but Hikaru would always walk through him or ignore him. And Yugi continued to play, putting his hand through Sai's sleeves to place his next stone.

Sai sighed. It was disappointing to be reminded of his invisibility, even though he knew he'd always recover sooner or later. Playing Go helped a lot, of course. It was only when he played when he felt that he could be seen, not in the physical sense, but on some sort of higher spiritual plane.

He shuffled closer to the other teen's right side, peering over to change his perspective on the game.

He was in the middle of admiring the delicate yet effective playing style Yugi had when he suddenly heard something strange, like a shiver in the air that somehow managed to form words.

…_there?_

He froze in his spot and cast his eyes around, wondering if someone in the crowd had said something. Well, they weren't completely silent, murmuring to one another about the latest move by Hikaru or Yugi, but the voice was completely different from an outside human's voice. In fact, the voice felt like it had appeared in his mind before fizzling out so quickly that he couldn't tell if it had been there in the first place.

He strained his ears, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him.

…_hear me?_

Sai jumped. He was officially more than spooked now – he was feeling something akin to pure terror. At first, he'd been semi-joking to Hikaru about another ghost, but now…he really didn't want to know. What if the other ghost _wasn't_ a peaceful Go-obsessed ghost like him? What if it was evil and ate other ghosts for breakfast? He'd never be able to play Go again!

Sai shot back to Hikaru's side of the table, as if the presence of his host could somehow keep the other…thing…at bay.

\\Hikaru! HIKARU! I think…I think there's another ghost here!\\

He was met with silence.

\\HIKARRUUUU!\\

The ghost wailed, flailing his arms. But his cry was lost on the boy, who was too busy trying to defend his territory from a surprisingly ingenious move his opponent made. Sai humphed and gave up. He'll talk to Hikaru about it later when they were alone. Maybe during a few rounds of Go. Speaking of which, Sai turned his attention back to the game, his fear already ebbing in favour of watching his favourite game being played.

-o-o-o-

_Pachi. Pachi_.

Everyone could see that both boys were playing a brilliant game, and though Kawai-san was a tad disappointed at not having seen Yugi get thoroughly beaten by Shindou, the intense battle on the _goban_ more than made up for it.

It was a very close game, but even Yami could tell that it was taking Yugi every ounce of his effort to keep up with Shindou while Shindou seemed to slice through their defences and traps without breaking a sweat.

/ /Aibou./ /

/…Hmm? What?/

His partner's answer was a bit delayed, as he was still very much into the game. He felt a pang of sadness when he realised that usually, during duels, he was in constant communication with his partner because he could offer good advice or vice versa, because they both knew the game so well. With this game of Go, he was virtually useless, even though he knew his gaming instincts were on par, perhaps even better than Yugi's. But despite that, he still wanted to help.

/ /I think we should switch./ /

Yugi blinked, pulling himself out of his focus for a brief moment.

/Why? Do you sense something dangerous?/

/ /Yeah. You're in danger of losing./ /

Yugi chuckled at the pharaoh's unexpected answer. Honestly, the spirit was so opposed to the idea of losing, even if it wasn't him playing the game! And one that wasn't Duel Monsters!

/Yami. I think I'll be fine./

The spirit sighed, but left Yugi to do as he wished.

/ /Just don't come crying to me if you lose./ /

Yugi would've hit Yami for that, but he let it slide, seeing as they were in front of a crowd. Perhaps he'd chastise him later, when they were alone in their soul rooms.

_-To be continued-_

* * *

><p>'<em>Pachi<em>' is apparently the official Japanese sound effect for the sounds Go stones make as they come in contact with the board.

You can probably tell by now that I don't play Go. At all. So just imagine an epic battle taking place, complete with cinematic and overly dramatic effects worthy of any _HnG _game.

The conclusion to the game is coming up next, so stay tuned. (Translation: I'm so mean. XD)


	8. Let's Play a Game: Part 5

Finally! The last part of this chapter. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** Continues from the previous part. Forever. And ever.

'Thought' system:  
>\...\ = Hikaru's thoughts<br>\\...\\ = Sai's thoughts

* * *

><p><strong>It's Time to Play a Game<strong>

_Chapter 2: Let's Play a Game (Part 5)_

Everyone in the room stared at the _goban_, holding their breaths. But to the more skilled players, it was clear who won.

"…Fifty-one _moku_ to fifty-six, with _komi_(1). Whoo!" Hikaru pumped a fist in victory and the tension left the entire room, although the crowd's murmuring had gone up in volume in favour of discussing the game that had just unfolded.

"Ha! I knew you had it in you, you brat!" Kawai-san grabbed Hikaru in another headlock and gave him his umpteenth noogie. "Thanks for earning me some money!"

Yugi smiled, a little disappointed that he lost but still glad at how much he'd improved at the game, even though he hadn't played it in a long time. He finished clearing his black stones off the board and inclined his head in a grateful bow.

"Thank you for the game, Shindou-san. It was fun!" And it was true – Yugi felt exhilarated throughout the entire game, an emotion he rarely experienced before he completed the puzzle. The feeling still left him amazed and extremely happy that anyone would want to play with him, and he never wanted to forget it.

Shindou waved him off with a sheepish grin.

"Aw, don't go all polite on me – we're practically the same age! Plus that was a good game, especially if you haven't had that much experience!" Hikaru suddenly frowned at this. "You know, if _komi_ didn't exist, you'd have won by half a _moku_. Were you lying when you said you'd only played Go a few times? 'Cos you're way better than a beginner. In fact, you could easily pass the _insei_ exam with your skills." He still couldn't get the idea of another ghost completely out of his mind, and after playing the boy…well. He wasn't sure what to think. He directed his thoughts to his Go mentor.

\Sai? What do you think?\

\\I think it's a great idea, Hikaru! He could be your rival number two!\\ Sai cheered, loving the idea of roping another unsuspecting person to play Go with them.

Hikaru sweatdropped.

\Umm, that's not what I meant.\

"Haha, no, I really haven't played the game much. I guess it was just a combination of luck and strategy."

Hikaru caught the humble reply, which really went along with Yugi's entire look and aura. He grinned – Yugi was a little like Isumi, but unlike his serious older friend, he seemed to be a fun guy to be around with. Perhaps a little timid, but it was clear he had a competitive streak and loved playing games, otherwise he would have refused Kawai-san's challenge, especially since it seemed like he thought Go wasn't his forte.

Hikaru dumped all his stones back into his Go _ke_, suddenly wondering if it was part of his duty as an _insei_ to 'recruit' Yugi.

"You wanna discuss the game?"

Yugi blinked, looking confused.

"You know, go over each of our moves, discussing which ones were good and pointing out the bad ones, looking for alternatives…"

"Oh, right. It's okay; I don't want to waste your time. Besides, like I said before: I'm more into Duel Monsters. In fact, I noticed that I could apply many of the basic principles in Duel Monsters to Go, which really helped."

Now it was Hikaru's turn to blink.

"Err, I forgot to ask, but what _is_ Duel Monsters anyway?"

Yugi face-faulted. Seriously? He didn't know? But then he grinned – he'd just have to enlighten Hikaru himself.

Pulling out his deck that he always kept on his belt, he proceeded to show Hikaru the colourful cards and outline the basic rules to the game. He also shared a little of his theories of the similarities between the two games, which fascinated Hikaru to no end. Usually Hikaru had a hard time learning new things, but like Yugi said, Duel Monsters was similar to Go, and Yugi was such a patient and enthusiastic teacher that he was doubly motivated to learn how to play.

-o-o-o-

The Go salon owner smiled at the rambunctious boys who were now duelling one another with the cards, even though they only had half a deck each. Ordinarily he would have asked them not to play on top of the _goban_, but he let it slide since the cards wouldn't damage the surface, and he was grateful to them. Their enthusiasm brought some life into this little salon of his – something them 'old geezers' really needed, even though a few of them were currently grumbling at the increased level of noise.

Kawai-san walked over to him, clearly having given up on trying to keep up with the boys' racing minds like everyone else had a few minutes ago. They were all forgotten in the wake of this new-fangled game, which apparently was supposed to include the use of life-sized holograms. The owner found that part very hard to believe, but the honesty and excitement in Yugi's eyes convinced him that technology was indeed moving ahead of all of them. It was crazy progress, considering that it was only a few years ago when Internet Go was invented.

"I guess brats will be brats, eh? The crazy-hair kid has totally forgotten about going home, and the other brat forgot about his own curfew."

Kawai-san chuckled, moving to put a cigarette between his lips. The owner didn't know whether Kawai-san noticed or not, but ever since Shindou began to visit the salon on a regular basis, he'd always leave his cigarette unlit until the boy had left.

"So what do you think? Another prodigy in our midst? Geez, they sure weren't bluffing when they were talking about the new 'Go Wave' in _Weekly Go_."

The owner laughed quietly at the comment, before looking over at Yugi with a thoughtful look.

"Hmm…I don't know about that."

"Eh? What do you mean you don't know? I know Shindou won by a healthy margin, but if the other kid has only played a few games, who knows how good he'll get if he played a few more?"

The owner paused at a particularly loud "_AHHH!_ You got rid of all my traps!" before explaining himself, choosing his words carefully.

"I don't deny that Yugi is gifted, but despite the game with Shindou, I don't think Yugi's…alliances…are with Go."

"'Alliances'?"

The owner hooked a thumb in the boys' direction, smiling lopsidedly.

"See how his entire posture is different when he's holding those cards? That clearly didn't happen when he was holding the Go stones."

"Well, that can easily be remedied. I know I myself wasn't that interested in Go at first."

"No, no. I mean he's much more relaxed and comfortable with the cards than with the stones. It's like the cards are second nature to Yugi, and once that's been ingrained, it's difficult to let anything else into your life. It's like getting into a relationship – you can either be entirely invested in one, or you can spread your attention among several. That boy clearly has invested a lot into this 'Duel Monsters' game, and has no intention of changing allegiances anytime soon."

The taxi driver gave the owner an extremely odd look.

"Riiight. Now you're comparing games to women. You gettin' senile, old man?"

The owner scowled, swatting the other man's arm while he laughed.

"Okay, okay! I think I get it – that card game is like a pair of favourite, old but comfortable shoes for the kid, and it ain't like he's gonna exchange them for a brand new pair."

The owner nodded.

"Keh. What a shame. Would've been nice to try to kick two brats' butts instead of just one."

"Kawai-san, you've never even come close to beating Shindou," was the dry response.

"HEY!"

The owner laughed at the driver's expense, for once glad about his seniority. He knew the man would never dare to give him a noogie.

Looking over to the boys, he felt a little disappointed at not having 'found' Yugi earlier, but it couldn't be helped. Maybe when he got older, he'd abandon the childish game for something much more traditional and intricate. But he had the impression that the kid was fiercely loyal, if he wasn't misjudging the kid's lingering smile on a card that had a picture of a man in a purple robe.

-_End of Chapter 2-_

* * *

><p>(1) <em>Komi<em> is basically the 5.5 points (a.k.a. _moku_) that's added on to the white player's final total. This is to get rid of the black player's advantage of having the first move.

So that concludes this chapter. I think it's pretty obvious who would win, especially since both Sai and Yami didn't interfere. And I think Hikaru and Yugi could have been good friends, if they lived in the same universe. Anyway, please leave a review and/or comment; they are much appreciated! The next chapter will come out as soon as I've finished writing it.


	9. For the Ones Who Were Left Behind

I now officially hate Japanese geography. But in return, my appreciation for Google Maps has increased tenfold.

That aside, the third installment is here! This installment is special because I didn't break it up like the others. It just seemed more appropriate to have the whole story up.

I also want to take a little bit of space to thank everyone for all the reviews, alerts, and favourites. You guys truly make my day. Less than 3!

Oh, and before you start reading...

**HUGE SPOILER WARNING!** **I REPEAT: HUGE SPOILER WARNING! **Please don't read from this point on unless you know the ending for **BOTH** series! Actually, you don't even have to know much about what happened in between, but as long as you know how _Hikaru no Go_ and _Yu-Gi-Oh_ end, you're good. Unless you're the type of person who actually likes having things spoiled.

If you're the type of person who skips all the author notes before each story, then I am not responsible for any anger incurred by giving away the endings of two amazing series.

Moving on.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own _Hikaru no Go_ or _Yu-Gi-Oh_ yadda-yadda-yadda.

* * *

><p><strong>It's Time to Play a Game<strong>

_Chapter 3: For the Ones Who Were Left Behind_

The diminutive old man stood at the very back, a little ways away from the rest of the mourners. While some in the crowd were shedding tears here and there, he was feeling annoyed – annoyed that his friend couldn't pick a bigger resting place. The cemetery located behind Ishikiri Temple was lined with upright yet narrow grave markers, making the grounds look something like a mutilated hedgehog. The comparison made the man bite back a bitter laugh.

_It's just my own guilty conscience speaking_, he chastised himself. He knew he was acting out of a self-imposed resentment. The funeral invitation arrived a few weeks ago, and although he'd been thinking of reclining the offer, he received a second invitation from a very dear friend of his to visit him in Yamaguchi. Since the location of the funeral was on the way, he decided to save time and condense two trips into one, which seemed like a good idea at the time.

He wasn't so sure about that now.

So here he was, over seven hundred kilometres away from home, attending a funeral where he wasn't that close to the deceased anyway. The sense of false obligation left a sour taste in his mouth, which in turn, soured his mood.

"Did you play Go with Inoue-san as well?"

A raspy voice cut through his thoughts, and he turned to see a man about his age take a slow step towards him, being careful to avoid tripping over his own cane. At one point in his life, the speaker would have been about twice his height, but time hadn't been kind to this man.

_Then again, time is never kind to anyone_, the shorter man thought. At least he still had a full head of hair, complete with crazy spikes. They'd all gone white at some point, making his close friends tease him about being some sort of haloed angel.

"Go? No; never. We were classmates in college at one point, and even attended some research field trips together, but we kind of lost touch after he gave up everything for Go and moved to Kutsuwa City." He glanced at the stranger. "What about you, umm…"

"Shindou. Just call me Shindou," the other smiled easily, and straightened his back a little. "I wish we could have met in a better place…"

"Mutou." They grasped hands, and though he didn't feel like it, Mutou smiled too. "If you're referring to the afterlife as that 'better place', then I think I'd rather meet you as you are right now, on earth."

Shindou made a little noise at the back of his throat, as if he choked on a foreign sound. "Perhaps, Mutou-san. But yes, I did play Go with Inoue-san a long time ago. In fact, I was the only one who managed to beat him in an official tournament!" He paused as if he remembered some inside joke, and let go of the chuckle he'd been trying to hold back, causing someone in the crowd of mourners to shoot him a look of disapproval. "Ah, umm…let's relocate over there, Mutou-san, so we don't disturb the funeral."

"Don't you want to stay for the ceremony?"

"No, not really. Do you?"

Mutou-san shook his head, relieved that someone felt the same way he did. Then he felt guilty for feeling relieved, but he shoved that aside, and followed Shindou's slow shuffle to a different area of the graveyard. The taller man seemed to know his way around, because after they rounded another corner filled with grave markers, he spotted two roughly carved stone seats with a stone table in between. He suddenly realised how much he missed the company of someone his own age – there was an understanding between them that they automatically had.

They sat down, both breathing an inner sigh of relief as they rested their tired feet. They relaxed in companionable silence for a while, listening to the faint chanting of the priest mingle with the smoke rising from the burning incense. The priest paused, and spoke Inoue-san's new name(1).

"Do you know how to play Go, Mutou-san?"

Mutou blinked, and a hazy image of black and white dots appeared in his memories. "Oh, sure. I love playing all kinds of games, although Go is one I haven't played in some time."

"Well, would you like to play a game right now?" Shindou tapped the table's surface, pointing out the ready-carved nineteen by nineteen grid.

"That's interesting. I never would've expected to find a Go table in a cemetery."

"Honinbou Shuusaku's grave is here, so they built this in honour of him."

_Ah, the legendary Go player from the late Edo period_, Mutou thought, recalling the bits and pieces he could remember about Japanese history.

"So? Do you want to play? Or are you afraid that this former champion will beat you hands down?" Shindou smirked at him, suddenly looking much younger in that moment.

Mutou grinned back. "Brag while you still can, because I used to be unbeatable in any and every game I played!"

"Ohh, you 'used to be unbeatable'. That makes me soooooo scared."

"What about you, 'former champion'-san? Is the pot calling the kettle black?"

They burst into laughter, enjoying the feeling of pulling their inner child out of one another.

"I'll demonstrate the power of a former champion! Now, _nigiri_!"

"With what, O-powerful-former-champ-who's-going-senile?" Mutou replied, snorting with even more laughter. Shindou scowled, only just having realised that they didn't have stones. Not about to be put out, he thought of a solution.

"We can just play without stones! How about that, eh? We'll see exactly who's the senile one after this game!"

"Ohh, a challenge! I accept!"

They grinned again, played _janken_ in place of a _nigiri_, and began their game of blind Go.

Only it wasn't so much like a game, and more like a disaster. About ninety moves in, Mutou accused Shindou of playing in a space he'd already played in, which was grudgingly settled, but then another fifty moves later, they got into another argument about whether the stone Mutou just played had really captured three of Shindou's stones. After that argument blew over, both of them couldn't quite remember where the rest of the stones were placed.

They sighed in defeat – truly, they were 'former champions'.

It was Mutou who broke the silence first.

"I'm sorry, Shindou-san. I guess I overestimated myself back there."

"No, no. I thought I could keep up, but I guess I'm just too stubborn." He tilted his head in his own way of acknowledging an equal, before his lips quirked into a smile. "Forgive me for saying this, but I actually quite enjoyed it."

"What, acting like a child?"

"No; sitting across a table from a friend. A rival. Someone to beat, yet someone who understands." He rubbed the end of his cane thoughtfully. "I guess in my own way, I've honoured my memories of Inoue-san."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Inoue-san was, at first, simply another player at the annual Go tournament for amateurs. Another player to beat. So when he started winning, everyone, including me, thought it was pure luck. When he kept winning, though, I started to study his _kifu_(2) and watched his games whenever I managed to secure my own win before him. So when I finally faced him in the finals, I thought I was pretty prepared, even though I was feeling quite nervous." He paused, glancing over in the direction of the funeral.

"There's a saying among Go players that goes, 'You never know a person until you've faced them on the _goban_.' And it's true – I thought I knew Inoue-san's style just from studying it, but until I had actually played him, I didn't – no, _couldn't_ know who he was as a person. It's…it's kind of like reading a textbook about a figure in history and thinking you know all about them, but because you never actually met them face to face, you will never know them at all." He looked at Mutou-san's bright, purple eyes, hoping he could understand.

"We played each other a few times after that tournament, but I know that Inoue-san never made it to the pros. I suppose I'm probably one of the few who remember him as an amateur Go player, rather than a white-collar office worker. And that he wanted to be buried in the same cemetery as the great Shuusaku when he died rather than with his own ancestors, no matter how untraditional, or inconvenient or expensive it was."

Mutou sat in silence, in knowing.

Shindou sighed and leaned on his cane, grunting as he hauled himself out of his comfortable sitting position.

"Well! No use sitting around here; I feel like I'll turn into a statue if I stay in one position for too long and keep thinking such depressing thoughts!" He looked at his watch, a bit of silver peeking from underneath all the black clothing. "It's almost five already? That silly boy didn't even come looking for me yet!"

Mutou also stood, stretching out the kinks in his joints. "'Silly boy'? Who's that?"

"Oh, just my wayward grandson. Well, I shouldn't call him that – he's made a fine man out of himself. He's even a six-dan Go pro, and told me that he'll be promoted to seven-dan if he wins his next game!"

Mutou-san smiled, letting the other elderly gentleman ramble on and on about the pride of his life.

"It's strange that he wanted to accompany me to Inoue-san's funeral, since he never even met the man, but he was so persistent and made so many insulting excuses about 'protecting the elderly' and making sure I won't forget my way home that I just had to take him with me – oh, and speaking of him, there he is."

Mutou-san followed Shindou-san's pointing finger with his eyes, spotting a tall, quiet young man standing straight but with his head slightly bowed in front of a grave marker. His jet-black hair obscured his face, which matched the rest of his funeral attire. In his right hand, he was clutching something long and thin…a fan? In this weather? Strange, but Mutou-san had seen much stranger things in his lifetime.

As they approached the boy, Mutou couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity, as if he'd seen the entire thing before – kind of like experiencing déjà vu, only that the situation seemed backwards somehow. And where the people weren't quite so tall.

"Ah, I should have known. He's really turned into a fine Go nerd, paying his respects to Shuusaku. No wonder he was so keen on the idea the moment I mentioned Inno Island," Shindou muttered under his breath. "Oi, Hikaru! It's time to go!"

The boy turned slowly, as if he recognised his name being called, but not the voice that came with it.

"Hikaru, the funeral's over. We should head back to the bus station." The older Shindou paused, catching a glimpse of the foreign, haunted look in his grandson's eyes. "Were you here the whole time?"

"Errrr, no, not really…" The boy's baritone voice stuttered, his emerald eyes darting around until they landed on Mutou-san's spikey white hair. "Who are you?"

"Oh! Where are my manners – Mutou-san, this is Hikaru. Hikaru, say hi to my new friend, Mutou-san."

They murmured the standard greeting and shook hands, and although the older man could tell Hikaru's mind was somewhere else, he couldn't help but feel drawn to the boy, like the way he'd been drawn to a certain ancient Egyptian artifact. Only now, all that was left of it was an empty box, where anyone who opened it would know that something was missing, but they wouldn't be able to guess what it was unless they knew the box's secret. There was a silent void, like something had just yawned and froze in that position.

Letting go of Hikaru's hand felt like that; like he'd just withdrawn his hand from an empty box.

"Still making friends at your age, jii-chan? Heh. I hope you two played nice."

_A box gilded with gold, _his mind whispered.

"Why, you – still bad-mouthing your own grandfather? I see that living on your own has done nothing to make you any less immature!" Shindou-san lifted his cane in a threatening manner, causing Hikaru to back away in mock fear. "Don't forget that I know where you live! I should…I should…wait, when does the next bus to Onomichi leave again?"

"Uh…I think at six. Why?"

"_Because we're going to be late, _baka_!_" The old man practically yelled while waving his watch in front of Hikaru's face.

"I can't help it if you're getting slower in your old age, jii-chan!"

"Argh, you...I'm sorry, Mutou-san. I'd love to stay longer and chat with you, but we really have to get going. Do you live in Tokyo? No? Well, if you ever plan to visit, look in the phonebook for Shindou Heihachi and give me a call. I'd love to have a rematch with you! Remember, it's Shin-dou Hei-hachi, the 'hei' for 'balance' and 'hachi' as in the number eight! And speaking of rematches, Hikaru, you owe me at least twenty games of Go when we get home…"

"Aww man, but I'm tired of playing _shidougo_!" his grandson teased, but in a surprising show of respect, he curled his hand – the one not holding the fan – around his grandfather's free arm to support him.

Mutou-san stared at the grandson that was so much like his own, yet completely different, and without thinking, he grabbed the younger boy's elbow, causing him to stop and look at him in surprise.

The pain that haunted those green eyes, that pain had faded to a dull throb, but it was there, and oh, how he must have taken it with the bravest of faces and made the pain his own, like his little Yugi did—

"Ummm, is something wrong?"

"…No. No, it's nothing. I'm sorry."

He watched them go and wished he could follow them forever, if only so he would never have to say goodbye again.

_-End of Chapter 3-_

* * *

><p>(1) In a traditional Japanese funeral ceremony, the recently deceased receives a new Buddhist name to prevent his soul from coming back to haunt the living if his earthly name was mentioned. I got this information from a Wiki page, so if this is completely wrong, please let me know. Like I said, I've never been to Japan before.<br>(2) A _kifu_ is a record of the games a Go player has played. Each move is recorded on a gridded piece of paper.

I had Hikaru dye his hair back to black, since I can't see anyone, not even him, with such a strange hairstyle for so long. Besides, it was only popular in the 90's. I also made Yugi's grandfather's hair white, because I felt that even though it's grey in the anime, it had the potential of turning white later on. See _Yu-Gi-Oh: Season 0_ if you're curious as to how he looks with white hair.

Regardless, I really had fun writing this chapter despite the sad setting.

The last chapter will be up soon.

Please review and comment to your heart's content! (And mine!)


	10. Epilogue: For the One Who Waits

I'm back! Although I guess this is somewhat bittersweet news, since it's the last installment of this crossover story.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The **HUGE SPOILER WARNING** is back up in effect! Don't read unless you know the endings to both series!

The **Disclaimer **is also back up in effect...more like it was never gone in the first place. Meh.

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><p><strong>It's Time to Play a Game<br>**_by Karistarz_

_Epilogue: For the One Who Waits_

Two spirits sat with a _goban_ between them, mirroring one another with the intensity reflected in their eyes. But that was where the mirroring began and ended, for these spirits were as opposite as the colour of the Go stones they were using to play.

_Pachi._

Some nervous shuffling, shifts in facial expressions, and a sigh of defeat.

"I have nothing."

The winner smiled in jubilation before heaving a great sigh himself, letting his intense concentration seep out of his body.

"Good game – you attacked very well in the upper-right and centre during the mid-game, especially that trap you laid out. It caught me completely by surprise!" He grinned, reliving the excitement of that moment. "Care for another round?"

His companion let out a deep laugh, running a hand through tri-coloured hair.

"Honestly, I wish you could play something other than Go – your obsession is starting to worry even me."

He received a cute pout in response.

"I can't help it if I love the game. Besides, I've been looking for a rival for so long – who knew that I'd only find one in the afterlife?"

The other spirit quirked a small smile – he could understand the need and longing for an equal. God knows he'd sometimes resented, even hated his title of the "King of Games", not just because it made him a target for everyone and anyone with a big enough ego, but also because it made him seem so far; so intangible to everyone else, not just because he spent most of his time trapped in a golden puzzle. So he didn't mind when his spirit-friend constantly dragged him into a game of Go, even though he often grumbled about it. He found that holding a stone was not quite the same as holding his beloved cards. Even now, the stones felt foreign in his hand, as if they were trying to replace something that wasn't there.

The sound of a finger tapping wood pulled him out of his thoughts, and he dipped his head in apology. But his companion wasn't offended; merely curious.

"Is something bothering you?"

"Ah, just thinking about…old times."

The violet-eyed ghost grinned at the bad pun, but his eyes softened as his own thoughts drifted to a certain blond-banged boy. Without thinking, he said quietly, "It's hard to leave our friends behind, ne?" His pale hands fingered a smooth stone, remembering the times he so badly wanted to pick up the stones, but somewhere along the way, he found himself not really minding as long as his host did it for him. It was a very small gesture, but it showed that underneath that brash and teenage nature was a kind heart that cared about him.

His rival hmm'ed.

"Perhaps. But you know we didn't belong there; we overstayed for far too long." He frowned, marring his tanned face. "It was only borrowed time."

"Still. I'm eternally thankful to Kami-sama for letting me rekindle the earth's passion for Go, and for meeting—"

"_Don't even think about it_," the other warned, catching the dangerously wistful look on the Go-obsessed spirit's face. "You might not have gotten caught the last time you intruded the Realm of Dreams, but if you do it again, I'll drag you out myself! You know full well that there could be serious repercussions for doing that, like losing much more than a fan!"

The spirit pouted again, and stuck a tongue out childishly even though he was pretty sure it was a highly improper way to treat a former pharaoh.

"I think it might cause problems among the living if they started dreaming about an Egyptian with an impossible hairstyle dragging an ancient Japanese man behind him." He bit back a laugh at the image before sobering up. "Besides, don't you ever worry about your charge? Things like how he's doing and what he's up to?"

The ex-pharaoh's face fell a little, but he tried to keep the sadness out of his voice.

"I left those regrets behind me when I walked through the last gate. It would also be betraying my trust in the friendships he has formed with many others, and undermine my belief that they will support him through any obstacles he may face. But even without his friends, I know he is far stronger than anyone I've ever met."

There wasn't anything the Go-spirit could say to that, except acknowledge his fierce determination. But still, he was the one who hadn't managed to say a proper goodbye, so he could forgive himself for breaking the rules.

They sat in comfortable silence, thinking about the 'extra lives' they were given. Until one of them started to think about Go again.

"So can we play another game? Pleeeaaaaassseeeeee?" He gave his best puppy-eyed impression, making his rival throw up his hands in exasperation.

"Fine, fine. I give up. But only because I'm going to win this time!"

"Yaaaayyy! You're awesome, pharaoh!" He glomped the tanned spirit, who squirmed a little under the suffocating hug but allowed it anyway. He'd long gotten used to it, after the other ghost had apologised numerously and explained that it was a habit he couldn't get rid of, not ever since meeting his second host in the living world.

They quickly cleared their previous game, but before they began, the Heian spirit shot the Egyptian a challenging look.

"I'm not going to go easy on you because it's my turn to play the _Kami no Itte_!"

The Egyptian laughed, knowing the other's fiercely competitive streak that almost surpassed his own.

"That's not much of a threat – I'm the one who managed to play that hand first."

"Well, I suppose we'll have to see whose hand is better!" They _nigiried_, and this time, the dark spirit was white while the pale ghost was black. As they exchanged Go _ke's_, the pharaoh took the opportunity to send a last jibe.

"You do know that it's possible to play the Hand of God with games other than Go, right? Like with the card game that I've been playing for the last few thousand _years_?" It was also a last ditch attempt at trying to turn that Go obsession towards something different.

He just received a mild glare for his efforts.

"The only game I'm interested in is Go."

For a split second, the Egyptian spirit saw a certain violet-eyed twin staring back at him with the same innocence and child-like quality, and he felt a stab of nostalgia. But it was soon drowned out by the sound of stones drawing shapes among the lines, until all that was left were two of the world's finest strategists duelling in a world where all they did was play games and wait.

-_Fin_-

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><p>And there you have it. Thanks for all the favourites and alerts and reviews! Leave one last comment if you have a few seconds to spare. =) I'll see you next time, in my next story!<p> 


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